Katie Boulter came out second best in a power battle with 12th seed Zheng Qinwen at the Australian Open.

British number one Boulter has had a great start to the season and she certainly played her part in an entertaining clash against Zheng, who is one of the rising stars of the game.

Ultimately she could not secure a spot in the third round, though, losing out 6-3 6-3 to the 21-year-old Chinese star in windy conditions at Melbourne Park.

Given the weather, this was a quality encounter between two of the cleanest ball strikers in the game.

It was a nip-and-tuck contest, with little to choose between them throughout, but ultimately it was Zheng who managed to come out on top in the crucial moments.

Boulter led by a break at 3-2 in the second set but Zheng responded with a run of four games in a row.

The last game was the longest of the match, with Boulter saving five match points but unable to take any of six break points before Zheng finally clinched it with an ace.

Jack Draper’s eventful Australian Open ended with a second-round loss to 14th seed Tommy Paul.

The 22-year-old had struggled physically in his opening match against Marcos Giron, escaping in five sets and then rushing to a courtside bin to vomit.

He looked to have recovered reasonably well going into the clash against American Paul, but fell to a 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-5 defeat.

Draper took confidence from having beaten Paul in both of their previous meetings, including comfortably last week in Adelaide, but the 26-year-old – a semi-finalist here last year – was sharp from the start.

The match was delayed by blustery showers in Melbourne and, when it did get under way, Draper came out of the blocks slowly, dropping serve three times in the opening set.

He hit back well in the second, beginning to trouble Paul with his power game, but it was the American on top again in the third set.

The conditions certainly did not make things easy and Draper looked hugely frustrated by his inability to time the ball as consistently as he would have liked.

Paul looked on his way to victory when he broke serve again to start the fourth set, but Draper fought back well to force two set points with a nervous Paul serving at 4-5.

He could not take either, though, and a missed forehand in the next game gave Paul the chance to serve for the match, which he took.

Cameron Norrie staged a superb comeback in difficult conditions to beat Giulio Zeppieri in the second round of the Australian Open.

A strong wind and two rain breaks, coupled with an inspired opponent, made life extremely difficult for the 19th seed but he battled to a 3-6 6-7 (4) 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory to set up a clash with 11th seed Casper Ruud.

It is the third time Norrie has recovered from two sets down to win after his Davis Cup debut against Roberto Bautista Agut in 2018 and a first-round win over Diego Schwartzman at the US Open four years ago.

Zeppieri is ranked down at 133 but was in form after coming through qualifying and crunched 63 winners in total, but Norrie did not panic and will be hugely satisfied with the result after a testing period over the second half of last season.

For the best part of two sets, Norrie was unable to cope with the power of Zeppieri, who bullied the British number one with his serve and forehand.

Both men were finding the wind tricky to cope with but Norrie began to get a foothold in the match at 5-4 in the second set, when he broke the Italian’s serve for the first time.

He was two points away from levelling the match with Zeppieri serving at 5-6 but the Italian fought back from 0-30 to force a tie-break, where he took an early lead that he did not relinquish.

Norrie, normally a cool customer, cut a deeply frustrated figure, while he was shaking out his troublesome left wrist having previously taken a medical timeout for treatment to his right knee.

The 28-year-old came out for the third set with purpose, though, and grabbed an immediate break of the Zeppieri serve before blustery showers began to blow through Melbourne Park, twice delaying the match.

In between, Norrie clinched the third set, and an immediate break at the start of the fourth set him on the way to levelling the match.

Norrie had experience on his side, with Zeppieri playing in only his third grand slam, but the 22-year-old, who had taken a lengthy medical timeout in the fourth set, began to offer more threat again in the decider.

Norrie came through a series of tight service games before a netted Zeppieri forehand gave him the break for 5-4 and the chance to serve out the contest, which he took before leaping across the court in celebration.

An emotional Iga Swiatek survived a major scare to defeat Danielle Collins and reach the third round of the Australian Open.

The world number one lost to Collins in the semi-finals in Melbourne two years ago and it appeared history was about to repeat itself when the American took a 4-1 lead in the deciding set under the roof on Rod Laver Arena.

But Swiatek responded with five games in a row to claim a 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory and set up a clash with Czech teenager Linda Noskova.

The Pole sobbed into her towel at the end of the match, and she said with a relieved smile: “I was at the airport already.

“I wanted to fight until the end. She played perfectly so I knew it would be hard for anybody to maintain that level. I waited for the mistakes to come. I’m really proud of myself because it wasn’t easy.”

Collins walked straight off court into the press room, where she revealed this will be her final season.

“I don’t really know exactly when (I will stop) but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that,” said the 30-year-old, who also made the semi-finals in Melbourne in 2019 and reached a career-high ranking of seven.

“I have other things that I’d like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis, and would like to be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me.”

The semi-final loss was the only one of five previous meetings with Collins that Swiatek had not won, and she lost only one game the last time they faced each other in Cincinnati last summer.

The top seed edged a tight first set disrupted by a brief rain break but the aggression of Collins was troubling the top seed and the American, who also made the semi-finals here in 2019, won five games in a row to take a 5-1 lead in the second set.

She showed nerves, hitting four double faults as she failed to serve it out at the first time of asking, but she was rock solid on her second opportunity.

Swiatek found returns drilled back at her feet and she was staring at the exit door when Collins broke serve twice in succession to lead 4-1 in the deciding set.

However, the American tightened up with the finish line in sight and Swiatek came roaring back, clinching victory on her third match point with a backhand into the corner.

Swiatek applied strapping under her left knee at the start of the third set, but she played down concerns, saying: “I’ve been struggling a little bit with my knee since (the WTA Finals in) Cancun. I have ups and downs but it’s not like it affects my game. You don’t have to be worried.”

Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva pulled off the result of the Australian Open so far by beating Ons Jabeur in the second round.

Andreeva allowed the sixth seed and two-time Wimbledon finalist just two games in a 6-0 6-2 hammering, but defending champion Aryna Sabalenka avoided a repeat against another 16-year-old, Brenda Fruhvirtova.

Novak Djokovic had to save four set points in the third set before overcoming Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, the defending champion appearing to be spurred on by an exchange of words with a spectator on Rod Laver Arena in his 6-3 4-6 7-6 (4) 6-3 victory.

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Women: Ons Jabeur (6), Caroline Garcia (16), Leylah Fernandez (32)
Men: France Tiafoe (17), Francisco Cerundolo (22), Lorenzo Musetti (25)

Who’s up next?

The remaining four British singles players are all in action on Thursday, with three on the same court.

Cameron Norrie opens proceedings on 1573 Arena before Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu both play Chinese opponents for the right to meet each other, while Jack Draper faces 14th seed Tommy Paul.

In the day session on Rod Laver Arena, Iga Swiatek faces Danielle Collins, while Carlos Alcaraz takes on Lorenzo Sonego.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic survived a scare for the second match in succession to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

Djokovic, who came through the longest first-round match of his grand slam career on Sunday, had to save four set points on his serve to avoid falling 2-1 down to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin on Rod Laver Arena.

The world number one eventually took the third set on a tie-break and appeared to be inspired by an exchange of words with a spectator in the fourth on his way to a 6-3 4-6 7-6 (4) 6-3 victory.

It was not clear if the 10-time champion asked for the spectator to be removed but former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, who is commentating for TV, said on Eurosport: “Just say the word Novak and I’ll run out of this commentary box and escort him out myself.”

Popyrin was left to rue failing to convert any of his four set points in the ninth game of the third set and Djokovic said in his on-court interview: “He had quite an easy forehand and he missed it.

“I didn’t do anything special, I was lucky at that point and that game to get away. He was the better player for a set and a half. The momentum shifted in the tie-break, I managed to put one more ball in the court than he did but that’s all.

“I think I played maybe at the highest level in some instances but also credit to him for tactically coming out with the right game plan and serving big. He deserves a big round of applause for the performance.

“I haven’t been playing my best but particularly in the early rounds you play players who have nothing to lose, they come out on the centre court trying to play their best tennis and I think both my first and second round opponents were really great quality tennis players and I managed to find a way to win.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to build as the tournament progresses.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost to Djokovic in last year’s final, also had to save four set points on his way to victory over another Australian, Jordan Thompson.

Thompson took the opening set and had four chances at 5-6 in the fourth set to force a decider before Tsitsipas sealed a 4-6 7-6 (6) 6-2 7-6 (4) victory.

Fourth seed Jannik Sinner enjoyed a far easier day as he thrashed Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong 6-2 6-2 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena, but 17th seed Frances Tiafoe was beaten in straight sets by Czech world number 75 Tomas Machac.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev needed just 99 minutes to beat American Chris Eubanks 6-4 6-4 6-4, while Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry – who beat Andy Murray in straight sets on Monday – beat Gael Monfils by the same score.

Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur is also into the third round after beating Italy’s for the loss of just six games.

Mike Dickson, the Daily Mail’s long-serving tennis correspondent, has died at the age of 59, his family have announced.

Dickson was in Melbourne covering the Australian Open for the newspaper, which he joined in 1990.

On behalf of his family, Dickson’s wife Lucy posted a message on X that read: “We are devastated to announce that our wonderful husband and Dad, Mike, has collapsed and died while in Melbourne for the Aus Open.

“For 38 years he lived his dream covering sport all over the world. He was a truly great man and we will miss him terribly. Lucy, Sam, Ruby and Joe.”

Dickson grew up in The Wirral and worked for local media outlets before moving to the Mail, initially as a cricket correspondent, before switching to tennis in 2007.

Lee Clayton, the Mail’s global publisher for sport, described Dickson as “a giant of a journalist”, adding: “Dicko was everything you want a correspondent to be – a brilliant news hound, a terrific writer and a friend to so many in his sport.”

The Mail’s veteran boxing reporter Jeff Powell added: “A tragic loss. The only consolation is that he died doing what he loved. Being a major player of his craft at a grand slam.”

The PA news agency’s tennis correspondent Eleanor Crooks said: “Mike, or Dicko as he was universally known, was the tennis reporter that we all aspired to be.

“He knew everyone in the sport and was a master at finding the stories that mattered. British tennis journalism is a small world and Dicko was the heart of it.

“Great company in press rooms and bars around the world, he could always be relied upon for a quip or an impression. Tennis will be much the poorer without him.”

Emma Raducanu will hope to maintain the same air of calm that accompanied her grand slam comeback when she takes to the court again for her second-round match at the Australian Open.

The 19-year-old was handed a kind draw against American Shelby Rogers, who was playing her first competitive tennis for six months, but negotiated the hurdle with a minimum of fuss in a 6-3 6-2 victory.

Raducanu’s spell out of the sport following triple surgery has given a chance for the circus surrounding her to die down, while she has a new yet familiar coach in the shape of Nick Cavaday, who she first worked with as a 10-year-old.

 “I think it’s pretty calm now,” she said. “It’s nice to be with Nick. I’ve known him since I was a kid, feel very comfortable there. Just all aspects really of my life I feel like are calming down and settled.

“Obviously when you come back after eight months, have experienced three surgeries, you’re just really grateful to be able to move freely.”

The 21-year-old has not been beyond the second round at a slam since her US Open triumph in 2021 but has a good opportunity here against 94th-ranked Chinese player Wang Yafan, where she will again be on her favourite 1573 Arena.

Should she win that one, she could find herself facing fellow British star Katie Boulter, although she has a tough draw against the top Chinese player, 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.

There was nothing straightforward about Jack Draper’s first Melbourne win, the 22-year-old struggling physically against Marcos Giron before fighting back to triumph in five sets and then immediately vomiting into a bin at the side of the court.

He later said that he thought the issue was largely related to the stress of performing on the big stage, something he hopes will change with experience.

Raducanu, who grew up alongside Draper as the big hopes of British tennis, believes it is a double-edged sword, saying: “I’ve been in situations serving out the US Open, serving out sets at the US Open in probably the most high-pressure scenarios you’ll ever get.

“It really doesn’t get easier, to be honest. I think you always are going to have an element of nerves, always going to have that stress.

“I think, the more matches you play, the more comfortable you feel in those scenarios because the more experience you have to anchor and pull back your feelings from.

“I think just getting on a roll of matches helps. I think I deal with match scenarios pretty well. I keep my cool.”

Draper was optimistic of recovering well for his next match, where he will be reunited with American 14th seed Tommy Paul.

The pair have met twice before, both in Adelaide, with the most recent match coming last week, when Draper triumphed 6-1 6-4.

“He’s obviously a great player,” said Draper. “First tournament of the year, maybe guys aren’t quite finding their game yet. The match I played against him, I was really solid. I played great tennis. But obviously five sets is different.

“It seems like he does well in the slams pretty regularly. He’s always in the fourth round, or I think he made semis here last year. He’s obviously playing well and likes the conditions.

“I think it definitely does help, though, having played him twice and obviously won twice. If that was me, then I would be a bit more fearful. But it will be a tough match, and he’ll be wanting to get some revenge on me for sure.”

British number one Cameron Norrie also has revenge on his mind ahead of his second-round clash with Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri.

Their only previous meeting came on clay in Rome back in 2020, when Norrie won just four games.

The 28-year-old has moved his career on hugely since then but remains wary, saying: “He’s a young, talented player, lefty. I watched the end of his match. He played really well.

“He competes really well. Kind of plays a little bit similar to me. But it’s definitely going to be a tough match. Looking for some revenge from last time, because he beat me really easily.”

Teenage star Mirra Andreeva produced a stunning performance to demolish Ons Jabeur in the second round of the Australian Open for the loss of only two games.

The 16-year-old was devastated to lose in the girls’ singles final last year but quickly made an impression in the senior game with runs to the third round of the French Open and the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Andreeva counts Jabeur as her idol but she was utterly ruthless under the roof on Rod Laver Arena, defeating the sixth seed and two-time Wimbledon finalist 6-0 6-2 in just 54 minutes.

Jabeur could only smile in astonishment at some of the shots Andreeva played, while she celebrated like an underdog when she finally won a game at the start of the second set.

She was unable to stall Andreeva for long, though, with the young Russian branding it the best match she has played.

“In the first set I played really amazing tennis, I didn’t expect that from myself,” said the teenager.

“I’m happy I played with Ons. It was one of my dreams to play against her, because I really like the way she plays. It meant a lot, this match that I won.

“She’s so nice. Now, after the match, she came to me, she wished me luck. I just know that she is who she is and she never changes.”

Andreeva is projected to rise inside the top 35 as a result of her run here despite being severely restricted in how many tournaments she can play because of her age.

She is trying not to be in too much of a hurry, saying: “I don’t think that I achieve something incredible, so I have time still to do that. Sometimes when I’m lying in bed, I can overthink a little bit, but the next morning I’m totally fine.

“I’m 16. Why do I have to think about the rankings? I’m going a bit higher, and so my goal is to go higher and higher. I just try not to think about that and just to think about tennis.”

Another young Russian making waves in Melbourne is 20-year-old qualifier Maria Timofeeva, who is playing in the main draw of a grand slam for the first time and ended former champion Caroline Wozniacki’s comeback.

The Dane retired here four years ago and is back with her two young children in tow but she could not build on a strong start, losing 1-6 6-4 6-1.

Wozniacki has other responsibilities now but she could not hide her disappointment, saying: “I would like to say that in my mind I can just kind of brush it under the carpet but it sucks just as much.

“Losing now and losing back then, it doesn’t really change. As a competitor, you want to win everything. When you have the family here and you bring everyone, you want to win even more because you want to stay longer and not have to move around.

“I felt like this was my match to win, and I didn’t.”

Emma Raducanu was a winner at a grand slam again, comfortably beating Shelby Rogers to reach the second round of the Australian Open.

She was joined by Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter and Jack Draper, who struggled in the heat but came from two sets to one down to beat American Marcos Giron before immediately running to a courtside bin to vomit.

Dan Evans was unable to make it a British full house, losing to Lorenzo Sonego, but it was a good day for the big names, with Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina all winning.

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Twelve months after his epic loss to Andy Murray at 4am, Thanasi Kokkinakis came out on the right side of a fifth-set tie-break to beat Sebastian Ofner.

Chips not down for Ruud

The Crown Casino is a famous spot in Melbourne and right next to the official player hotels. Eleventh seed Casper Ruud has never gone beyond the fourth round here and, asked if he had a different strategy this year, he said with a smile: “I try not to get dragged into the casino every night. That’s been helping. It’s tempting when you pass by every night, but I haven’t gambled too much this time.”

Fallen seeds

Women: Sorana Cirstea (22), Zhu Lin (29)
Men: Alexander Bublik (31)

Who’s up next?

Novak Djokovic will return to the court after his struggles against Dino Prizmic when he takes on Australian Alexei Popyrin in the night session on Wednesday.

His fellow defending champion Aryna Sabalenka is also under the lights against young Czech Brenda Fruhvirtova, while fellow 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva takes on sixth seed Ons Jabeur.

Coco Gauff plays countrywomen Caroline Dolehide, with Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Caroline Wozniacki also looking to reach round three.

Carlos Alcaraz marked his return to the Australian Open in convincing fashion with victory over veteran Richard Gasquet.

Alcaraz missed the tournament last year with a leg injury and was in a hurry to make it through to round two, clinching a 7-6 (5) 6-1 6-2 win under the lights on Rod Laver Arena.

Gasquet, 37, stood toe to toe with Alcaraz in the opening set and hit the shot of the match with a signature one-handed backhand down the line in the tie-break.

But, once Alcaraz had come through that, he ran away with the contest, losing only three more games.

Sixth seed Alexander Zverev had to come from a set down to see off German compatriot Dominik Koepfer 4-6 6-3 7-6 (3) 6-3, but the focus in the press room was on his forthcoming court date.

It was announced on Monday that Zverev will face a trial starting in May over domestic abuse allegations made by a former girlfriend.

Zverev, who denies the charges, was given a penalty order and fined in November but opted to contest that at a hearing.

He had previously been accused of abuse by another former girlfriend, who did not pursue legal action, which he also denied.

Asked whether it is appropriate for him to be on the ATP Council, which represents players, Zverev said: “Why would it not be? Nobody has said anything to me. I don’t have a reason not to believe that.”

Several of the German’s fellow players declined to give an opinion on the same question in their press conferences, but women’s world number one Iga Swiatek said: “For sure it’s not good when a player who’s facing charges like that is kind of being promoted.”

Zverev was then pushed on whether he should be allowed to play on the tour while the case is pending, with the 26-year-old responding: “Journalists are saying that. Some who are actually interested more in this story to write about and more about the clicks than the actual truth.”

It was a good day on court for the leading names, with eighth seed Holger Rune defeating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4 while 11th seed Casper Ruud eased to a 6-1 6-3 6-1 win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Grigor Dimitrov, the 13th seed who won the warm-up tournament in Brisbane, had to come from a set and a break down to defeat Marton Fucsovics in four.

Emma Raducanu felt the love on her grand-slam return as she eased to victory over Shelby Rogers in the first round of the Australian Open.

Playing her first major tournament since a second-round exit to Coco Gauff here last year following surgery on both wrists and one ankle, the 21-year-old produced an assured performance to beat the American 6-3 6-2.

A packed arena showed how much interest there is in Raducanu’s comeback, and this was the sort of routine win she will hope to achieve regularly throughout the season.

Raducanu was cheered loudly throughout and, after clenching her fist and waving to all sides of the arena, she gave her towel to a fan she recognised who had supported her in New York.

“Going out there today I think I was a little bit taken aback by just the support straight when I walked out,” she said.

“I think it was better than any year I’ve really had before here. It was just amazing to see all the signs, hear the support. It was pretty incredible. So I was very happy to be able to play in those sort of circumstances again.

“I gave the towel to Mark. He was actually there every round at US Open. I didn’t know he was here. I just saw him in the crowd. He’s very vocal. It was actually great to have him there to get me through. He’s very passionate and enthusiastic. It was his birthday.”

Raducanu has spoken a lot over the past couple of weeks about seeing this comeback as a reset following her US Open triumph and the hoopla that followed.

It was somewhat ironic, therefore, that the draw pitted her against one of the players she beat during that incredible New York fortnight.

Rogers had knocked out Ashleigh Barty in the third round but was swatted aside by Raducanu, the British player dropping just three games.

Rogers has taken her own break from the sport having not played a match since Wimbledon because of knee surgery and an abdominal problem before she got married last month.

Ranked down at 161 as a consequence, this was one of the kinder openers Raducanu could have had, and Rogers clearly looked rusty.

Raducanu settled well, though, balancing the aggressive game she is determined to stick to with a need for consistency and she did not face a break point throughout the contest.

Raducanu moved well, served strongly and showed good touch at the net and on a couple of drop shots, while she saw the funny side of a delay to one service game in the second set while a ball girl tried to capture a bug that had landed on the court.

She is yet to reach the third round in Melbourne but looks to have a good chance ahead of a second-round clash with China’s Wang Yafan on Thursday.

Whether or not Raducanu can find a way through that one, she is simply enjoying being able to play pain free.

“I honestly didn’t know if I’d ever get to this stage,” she said. “I had pain for so long. I was playing since before the US swing in 2022 all the way before surgery.

“I think this year and now there’s just a lot more calm. I think I’m more level-headed. I think things around me have settled. I do feel better, and there’s just less highs and lows around. It’s just more of an equilibrium.

“I think what I realised is the difference between me potentially losing first round or doing really well at a tournament is honestly really, really slim. It’s just in the way that I move, in the way that I do things physically.

“I think just not being so drastic, because I know it’s not far away at all, and I know, the more I practise consistently, it will come.”

Jack Draper blamed stress for the physical struggles that led to him vomiting in a courtside bin at the end of his five-set win over Marcos Giron.

It is a measure of how inexperienced the 22-year-old still is at the highest level that he had never previously played a match that went the distance, and he looked in serious trouble at two sets to one down against American Giron in 31 degree heat at the Australian Open.

But Draper has been working hard on his physical conditioning and it paid off as he fought back to win 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-0 6-2 after three hours and 20 minutes.

As soon as he had shaken hands with Giron after a final gruelling rally he ran to the bin to be sick and it was several minutes before he was able to walk off the court.

“It was weird,” he said. “I obviously played such a long point, maybe it was sort of a reaction to finally getting over the line. I don’t know. I kind of felt bad because I obviously just beat the guy, and I was saying, ‘I need to shake your hand, mate, but I need to get to that bin’.”

Draper was left with mixed feelings, saying of his physical conditioning: “I’m obviously nowhere near where I want to be still, but it’s coming. For sure I would have cramped in these matches last year, even maybe four months ago.

“It was obviously a physical match. It’s tough conditions. It wasn’t that long for a five-set match. I played three hours 40 (minutes) last week in hotter conditions and I was physically absolutely fine.

“It’s obviously a grand slam. It’s tougher sort of with the tension to play that first match. I think I’m still a young player, so getting used to the environment around these slams and the tension is difficult.

“There’s no doubting I’m really proud to come through this match and I think it is really important for me.

“But there’s still some underlying stuff that obviously I need to work on, whether that be psychologically starting these slams or just the way I’m handling the anxiety and the nerves because I obviously don’t want to play a match like that where I feel like I’m on my hands and knees a lot, and I’m struggling to breathe and calm myself down. That’s not a positive.”

The match was dominated by punishing rallies from the start and, after edging the first set, it became clear in the second that Draper was struggling.

He called the trainer at the end of the set and had his blood pressure and pulse taken, and Giron looked odds on to win when he clinched the third.

Draper headed off court at that point to change his clothes and revealed in his press conference later that a talk in the mirror helped him achieve the dramatic turnaround that followed.

“I’ve heard (Novak) Djokovic say it a few times in his career,” said Draper. “He has gone two sets to love down and he has a go at himself. I think it’s important to not dwell on it.

“I kind of just looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Come on, we need to try and do this. I know it’s going to be two sets now, and give it your all. It’s the Australian Open. Only going to be here once this year’.”

Draper will hope to have enough time to recover ahead of his second-round clash with Tommy Paul – who he beat last week on his way to the final of the Adelaide International – on Thursday.

There were more straightforward wins for Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter on a very good day for the British contingent.

Norrie dispelled concerns over the wrist problem that forced him out of last week’s tournament in Auckland with a routine 6-4 6-4 6-2 victory over Juan Pablo Varillas, while Boulter defeated Yuan Yue 7-5 7-6 (1).

The British number one missed two match points serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, one with a double fault and the other an unforced error, but put the setback behind her to dominate the tie-break.

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“It wasn’t easy at all,” said Boulter. “I felt like that was my moment to really dig in, take a deep breath and start again. It took a lot of strength to come back from that.

“I feel like I relish that situation because I know how tough I am and I know that I can get myself out of it.

“I managed to bring some of the better tennis that I played of the day out in the biggest moment. I think, if I’ve learned anything over these years, that’s what the best players in the world do.”

Emma Raducanu made a convincing grand-slam return with victory over Shelby Rogers in the first round of the Australian Open.

Playing her first major tournament since a second-round exit to Coco Gauff here last year following surgery on both wrists and one ankle, the 21-year-old produced an assured performance to beat the American 6-3 6-2.

A packed arena showed how much interest there is in Raducanu’s comeback, and this was the sort of routine win she will hope to achieve regularly throughout the season.

She is yet to reach the third round in Melbourne but looks to have a good chance ahead of a second-round clash with China’s Wang Yafan on Thursday.

Raducanu has spoken a lot over the past couple of weeks about seeing this comeback as a reset following her US Open triumph and the hoopla that followed.

It was somewhat ironic, therefore, that the draw pitted her against one of the players she beat during that incredible New York fortnight.

Rogers had knocked out Ashleigh Barty in the third round but was swatted aside by Raducanu, the British player dropping just three games.

Rogers has taken her own break from the sport having not played a match since Wimbledon because of knee surgery and an abdominal problem before she got married last month.

Ranked down at 161 as a consequence, this was one of the kinder openers Raducanu could have had, and Rogers clearly looked rusty during the opening set.

Raducanu settled well, though, balancing the aggressive game she is determined to stick to with a need for consistency and she did not face a break point throughout the contest.

Raducanu moved well, served strongly and showed good touch at the net and on a couple of drop shots.

Having broken Rogers’ serve in the fourth game, she did so again to open the second set before consolidating her advantage despite a brief disruption while a ball girl tried to escort a bug from the court.

Another break followed and Raducanu confidently served out the match to love before clenching her fist and waving to all sides of the court.

Katie Boulter defeated Yuan Yue for her first Australian Open victory in five years.

The British number one has lost in qualifying in Melbourne the previous two years but made rapid strides up the rankings in 2023 and was impressive in a 7-5 7-6 (1) victory over in-form Yuan.

The only missed step from Boulter, who has been subject of a lot of attention as the girlfriend of Australia’s big hope Alex De Minaur, was two match points that went begging on her own serve at 5-4 in the second set.

But she regrouped well and dominated the tie-break for just her second main-draw victory at Melbourne Park.

It was a tight contest throughout but Boulter showed once again that she is a player for the big occasion, coming out on top in nearly all the key moments.

A break for 6-5 in the opening set gave her the chance to serve it out, which she took in hot, breezy conditions.

Yuan, ranked seven places lower than Boulter at 61 in the world, reached the semi-finals of the WTA Tour event in Hobart last week, while her opponent also came into the tournament high on confidence after the best win of her career over Jessica Pegula at the United Cup.

There was nothing to separate the pair in the second set until Boulter, who had been under more pressure on her serve, broke to lead 5-4.

But her composure wavered at the wrong time, the 27-year-old serving a double fault on her first match point and then making a backhand error on the second as Yuan pulled back level.

She did not dwell on the missed opportunities, though, winning the first five points of the tie-break and taking her third match point to join fellow Britons Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper in the second round.